By Gerald Bourguet

Not to beat a dead horse, but the Phoenix Suns really need to change up their starting lineup. It’s only been five games, but there were legitimate concerns about the fit of Phoenix’s starting five before the season even began — and that was back when Oso Ighodaro seemed like the safe bet to pencil in as the team’s starting center.

These first five games have not only confirmed the worst fears about this group, but they’ve also managed to cast a pall on the rest of the season for as long as this remains the Suns’ starting unit. The numbers are that bad.

According to NBA.com, Phoenix’s current starting five of Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Miles Bridges and Khaman Maluach has posted a point differential of -36 in 60 minutes together — the worst total plus/minus of any five-man lineup in the entire league. Their -29.9 Net Rating is also the worst mark out of 35 different five-man lineups across the league that have played at least 30 minutes together so far this season.

The individual pieces sound nice enough, but they haven’t fit together as part of a puzzle.

It won’t be surprising if coach Jordan Ott waits 10-15 games before making a change, chalking up some of the struggles to guys getting acclimated and building chemistry with one another. But by then, Phoenix might have serious ground to make up in the standings, and it’s pretty clear what changes would make the most sense.

So whether it’s 5-10 games from now or as soon as Phoenix’s rematch with the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night, here are three different starting lineups the Suns should consider.

1. Replace Khaman Maluach with Oso Ighodaro

Devin Booker-Jalen Green-Dillon Brooks-Miles Bridges-Oso Ighodaro

There was a legitimate case to be made for Khaman Maluach starting at center, but there was a stronger one for Oso Ighodaro. Watching how these first five games have played out, the Suns’ lack of playmaking beyond Devin Booker stands out, even as Jalen Green has done his best to adapt to a new role.

Ighodaro will undoubtedly help there, while minimizing some of the general mistakes that a second-year big like Maluach is prone to making. Empowering Man Man through a trial by fire was always a gutsy call, and one that would’ve looked brilliant if he had been ready, but through these first five games, it’s clear that he’s not quite there yet.

Ighodaro missed a few games with an oblique strain, but since returning, he’s still been coming off the bench. It’s time for Ott to make this first switch to see if Ighodaro can help stabilize the starting lineup a bit, since his smart screen-setting would be a boon for any of the other four ball-handlers, and he can even function as an offensive hub who facilitates to make everyone’s lives easier.

For those wondering, this Booker-Green-Brooks-Bridges-Ighodaro lineup has only played one short stint together this season. In those 4 minutes, they were a -9, largely because they committed 6 turnovers and only shot 1-for-3. But that’s one tiny stint that was unsuccessful because of a rash of turnovers, as opposed to the current starting lineup, which has been worse over a sample size that’s 15 times larger than this 4-minute sample.

At some point later in the season, once Maluach looks more prepared, perhaps we can revisit his role as the starter. He’s the future of the center spot in Phoenix, and his shot-blocking, rebounding and burgeoning 3-point shot — not to mention his sheer size advantage over Oso — would provide things that this starting lineup needs. But he’s not there yet, and as the schedule heats up, Phoenix can’t afford to get off to bad starts (like that catastrophic 21-0 deficit on opening night).

As his 13-minute performance in the Suns’ last game demonstrated, Maluach is really only the starter in name, not usage. In fact, in the last two games, Ighodaro has played more minutes off the bench than Maluach did as the “starter.” Ott might as well make it official and give his starting lineup a different look to try and start games off on a better note.

2. Replace Khaman Maluach and Jalen Green with Oso Ighodaro and Collin Gillespie

Collin Gillespie-Devin Booker-Dillon Brooks-Miles Bridges-Oso Ighodaro

Maluach learning on the fly has exacerbated the problems with Phoenix’s starting lineup, but we can’t act like swapping centers will immediately fix all those issues. Ighodaro’s secondary playmaking and general basketball IQ will help, but in the backcourt, Jalen Green’s fit remains a problem.

To be clear, it’s not for lack of effort or buy-in on Green’s part. The Suns’ last game against the Golden State Warriors was a perfect example of that. Green looked fully bought in on both ends, setting the table for his teammates with 8 assists, helping out on the glass with 8 rebounds, and showcasing a level of defensive activity we’ve rarely seen from him, racking up 2 blocks and 2 steals.

Unfortunately (and somewhat ironically), one of Green’s best games as a Sun came on a night where he couldn’t contribute much in the scoring column. He finished with just 11 points, shooting 5-for-14 overall, 0-for-4 from 3 and 1-for-6 from the free-throw line. That’s kind of been a theme for Green this season: Low-scoring, inefficient nights as he tries to adjust to a new role that hasn’t paid dividends for him or his team yet.

Green’s buy-in and summer work ethic are commendable, but it’s pretty clear the Suns are miscasting him. He’s not going to be able to manage this sacrificial role and pop off as the streaky scorer that he is; the easiest solution is putting him in the sixth man role that seems to be his NBA destiny while moving Collin Gillespie back into the starting lineup.

Green is the better individual shot creator, the more explosive athlete and the greater threat to touch the paint, but Gillespie is a far better shooter and more natural playmaker. Lineups with Gillespie and Booker on the floor together posted a +7.0 Net Rating last season, and for all the hand-wringing over whether Collin Gillespie is a legitimate NBA starter whenever this conversation comes up, he did start 58 games for a 45-win playoff team just last year.

He’s a starting-caliber player, he would compete for a starting job on a number of teams, and he’s probably the better on-ball and off-ball fit next to Booker. If there truly is frustration in the locker room over Phoenix’s lack of a point guard, Gillespie won’t solve all those problems, but he’ll help restore the balance a bit in terms of getting Booker off the ball more.

Unleashing Green in a super sixth man role might also tap into his natural talents as a microwave scorer, especially playing in a second unit with better spacing. At this rate, his production off the bench would likely wind up surpassing the 11.0 points per game on .418/.222/.455 shooting splits he’s currently averaging.

This Gillespie-Booker-Brooks-Bridges-Ighodaro lineup has played a grand total of 1 minute together so far this season, so there’s not much evidence to go off of. But if moving Ighodaro into the starting lineup doesn’t immediately fix things, this second change is the natural next step…especially with Green facing a $36 million player option and an uncertain future in the Valley beyond this season.

3. Replace Khaman Maluach, Jalen Green and Miles Bridges with Oso Ighodaro, Collin Gillespie and Ryan Dunn

Collin Gillespie-Devin Booker-Dillon Brooks-Ryan Dunn-Oso Ighodaro

Miles Bridges has admittedly been better the last couple of games. He’s scored 24 and 21 points on 50 percent shooting or better in both, he’s been helping out quite a bit on the boards (10 and 6 rebounds), and he’s played much better defense, notably shutting down Aaron Gordon on a few iso-heavy possessions (why Denver had him dribbling up the court straight into isos, I’ll never know).

But Bridges is still a subpar 3-point shooter who takes a ton of them. He’s a career 33.8 percent shooter from beyond the arc, and through five games this season, he’s shooting just 28.1 percent on a whopping 6.4 attempts per game. His defense in the first three games was downright abhorrent, and if the losses continue to pile up, that newfound effort on the defensive end could very easily wane again.

Bridges has been able to get downhill and continue scoring despite his poor 3-point shooting, but if he goes back to being an albatross on defense, or if he can’t continue scoring at this pace, it wouldn’t be outlandish to move him to the bench before handing out a problematic new contract extension.

We should also note that Dillon Brooks suddenly looks more like the guy who needs to be benched after the last couple of games. Despite the career-high 3.2 assists per game he’s averaging, Brooks’ tunnel vision looks as bad as ever, resulting in multiple one-pass possessions and bad shot selection. His shot attempts are significantly down from last year, but he’s actively hurt Phoenix’s offense at times, and his defense has been downright lazy — a stark contrast from the tone-setter he was last year.

But at least we’ve seen Brooks can be an impactful two-way player for this team. We know it’s in there somewhere. We haven’t seen Bridges to that for more than a pair of games, and both of them were losses. Brooks is off to a red-hot start on the shooting front at 47.8 percent, and though it’s unlikely he’ll top 40 percent all season, given his track record, he’s been a better career 3-point shooter.

Whether it’s Bridges or Brooks, one or the other will need to be removed from the starting lineup if they both can’t defend at a high level and knock down 3s at a respectable level. 

If that’s the starting point of this conversation, the question is who fills in at that 3/4 spot. With Rasheer Fleming on the outside looking in at the rotation, the best options are either Ryan Dunn or Jordan Goodwin. Goodwin has had the better start to the season, and if anyone on this team deserves to be a starter, it’s him. But choosing the 6-foot-4 Goodie over the 6-foot-7 Dunn would leave Phoenix on the wrong side of yet another size deficit.

Also, it’s worth noting that the lineup of Gillespie, Booker, Brooks, Goodwin and Ighodaro has posted a -17 point differential in 9 minutes together over 3 games this season. So let’s slot Dunn into this hypothetical lineup change instead!

The Suns may have exercised his fourth-year team option, but it’s no secret that this is a make-or-break year for Ryan Dunn. Fleming and Koa Peat don’t look ready to steal his minutes just yet, but he has a lot to prove in Year 3, and so far, he’s done a good job being more sound defensively and avoiding cheap fouls. Dunn also crashes the offensive glass hard, he’s generating steals and blocks in his limited minutes, and he’s shot 4-for-8 from 3.

Dunn’s 3-point percentage is almost certainly going to dip as his volume goes up, but the Suns need someone in their starting lineup who fits the identity of last year’s team. Gillespie does that, but he’s not the defensive irritant that Dunn (or Goodwin) is. The Suns and their bottom-ranked defense could use a little more disruption on that end of the floor to start games off.

Shooting would definitely be a concern with this lineup. But it’s already a concern with the current lineup, so the Suns might as well pad their abysmal defense a bit, and hopefully the trio of Gillespie, Booker and Brooks/Bridges could pick up the slack on the shooting front.

For more of Gerald Bourguet’s Suns work, check back with Sports360AZ on a weekly basis, subscribe to his Patreon articles and podcast at Suns After Dark, or follow him on Twitter.

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